Lightning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lightning - Essay Example To begin with, lightning contains a massive amount of energy. If it strikes a tree or a house it can destroy it due to the massive transfer of heat. Lightning can heat the air around it to almost 20,000 degrees Celsius which is about three times the temperature of the sun. So much energy travels so quickly in a lightning strike that it creates a supersonic wave which normal people call thunder. Because light travels faster than the speed of sound you usually see the lightning before you hear the thunder on a stormy day.1 It is often said that electricity was discovered by Benjamin Franklin when he went to go fly a kite in a big storm. It is true that the idea of harnessing the power of electricity came to him at that time, though others had carried out similar observations and experiments in the past.2 Even though this helped our understanding of static electricity, not a lot of new information has been learnt about lightning in recent years, how to harness it or use it for human purposes. This is unfortunate. Because of global warming we need new ideas about how to generate energy without harming the environment. If scientists can learn more, we may be able to use lightning to save the planet. Rakov, Vladimir A. Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Managing diversity and equal opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing diversity and equal opportunity - Essay Example However, diversity is a concept that is more inclusive. People do not merely differ owing to their nationality, ethnicity or skin colour. People may also differ in their physical abilities, age, gender, sexual orientation, mental abilities and religious beliefs. In that context, diversity is a more holistic concept that it includes multiculturalism and all other notions by which people may differ from each other. Diversity could be a problem if taken to be so, or it may turn out to be a source of ingenuity, creativity and innovation if managed in the right way (Burke & Cooper 2005). So the chief and pivotal concern of diversity management is to make the diversity visible as well as to manage diversity in a way that it turns out to be fruitful, beneficial and salubrious fort the society, institutions and organizations. The core concern of diversity management is the appreciation of diversity as well as, wrought out the associated organizational and institutional behavioural changes in a way that they end up being beneficial and salubrious (Burke & Cooper 2005). Diversity is a concept that forces the managers and the employees to rethink their social and managerial views and expectations. Although the codification of organizational and institutional behaviour and modes of reference do help people size up their world view in a definite manner, these set views may also turn out to be sources of discrimination for some sections of the society. Considering the fact that the workforce in the UK is increasingly becoming multicultural, this has forced the organizations to restructure and rethink their attitudes and notions regarding diversity, so as to assure that everybody gets equal access to opportunities for growth and self realization. Understanding Diversity Diversity could turn out to be a benign and salubrious asset for any community. However, in a broader context, diversity happens to be much more than merely inculcating tolerance, and abstaining from resorting to stereotyping or getting judgemental. In fact in a world given to variety and variation, recognizing and managing diversity makes an immense sense. Diversity constitutes the fundamental asset for a society given to variation and stands to be central to the development of the economy and culture. It is the reverence for human dignity, freedom to differ and the liberty to express different views is what makes an organization inclusive and modern (Burke & Cooper 2005). The chance to perform and work in a way that is in consonance with what an individual actually is ensues from a realization of the relevance of the whole and the recognition of the constituent subsections. One of the plus points of recognizing diversity and differences is that it leads to recognition of the diversity and the inclusion of the varied diverse segment of the society in the workforce active in institutions and organizations (Burke & Cooper 2005). Creating a work environment that recognizes diversity allows people to realize each other’s innate differences and similarities, and to be able to relate to each other through this understanding. Cross-cultural integration and the communication today play a central role in the management of employees and customers. Not only the workforce in the UK is getting highly diverse, the consumers and customers that access the goods and services produced by

Alcoholic Beverage Should Be Illegal for All Ages Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic Beverage Should Be Illegal for All Ages Essay ?Penalties for drunk driving should be dramatically increased. I strongly believe that penalties for drunk driving should be dramatically increased. When a person decides to drink alcohol there should be thoughts going through their head. A person who drinks alcohol and doesn’t have a designated driver should already know their putting people in danger and going to receive a drastic penalty. On the other hand, for driver’s safety the law should increase the penalties for drunk driving drastically. Not only should their penalty be increased; they should have to participate in effective treatment before they thing about driving under the influence again. D. J. Hanson. (1997-2012) said when drivers drive drunk their speed limit is ten miles higher than their regular speed limit. For instance if a driver is driving 50 miles per hour on the interstate and their under the influence their speed limit is going to 60 miles per hour nonstop. Imagine if there was traffic on the interstate, midnight black outside, and an old lady is only driving 40 miles per hour on the interstate. The driver is under the influence driving 60 miles compared to the elderly lady 40 miles; there’s going to be an sever accident due to the driver driving drunk. This make the old lady be in a reckless predicament. A family has lost a love one and leaves the drunk driver with a DUI. The driver shouldn’t only get charged with a DUI he should go to therapy, rehab, and not be allowed to drive again. Furthermore, even though the drinking again has increased to 21 it shouldn’t make people think its okay to drink and drive drunk. Here’s a quote I found interesting to making penalties dramatically increased. DeWine (R-OH): It is a question of rights the right to have a fair chance on the highway, not to have someone come at you who has been drinking and driving. People have a right to drive on a highway so why should a person who is driving drunk penalty should be increasly severely. Lastly, I think penalities should be dramacticlly increased because I have lost 3 loved ones because somebody was driving drunk. The driver was driving 80 miles per hour on the expressway. When my auntie switched over to the fast lane the driver can full speed ahead and flipped the car 4 times in the air. My auntie wasn’t the only person in the car my 3 year old cousin and my 15 year old cousin. I was following behind my auntie when the accident happened. The funeral was very dreatful. Losing a love one to drunk driving and only getting a DUI isn’t enough. I agree with the statement penatlties should be dramactility increased to those who decides to drive under the incfluence.

Stages of Development | 0-19 Years

Stages of Development | 0-19 Years Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth – 19 years. The sequence of development refers to the expected pattern of development of a child from birth through to 19 years. Child development, in turn, refers to the biological, the physical and the emotional or psychological changes which take place within a time-frame as the individual passes through various stages or phases from (complete) dependency to (increasing) autonomy. The term development incorporates the skills and knowledge that children and young people are developing. Children and young people follow a pattern or sequence or order of development, and knowledge about expectations at the different ages and stages, helps practitioners to support development, as well as to identify those individuals who may need additional support or those who may require extension, for example, through a gifted and talented programme. Skills and knowledge and physical growth are all interconnected and therefore cannot be viewed in isolation. Instead a ‘holistic’ approach to development needs to be adopted as these areas are co-dependent. Children and young people need to be able to develop properly in order to reach their full potential. Practitioners should remain aware of the fact that although each area of development is important as an entity in its own right, each area is as important as any other, and also that they all impact upon each other. The areas can be ‘separated out’ as such, but they are reliant upon each other and so if a child does not have the physical skills to turn pages in a book or the language to decode words, then that child will not be able to read. Developmental changes may be influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, events during prenatal development, the delivery and birth itself as well as post natal influences. Developmental change can be due to maturation – genetically controlled processes or as a result of environmental factors, although mostly, there is an interaction between the two. The development of children and young people is a continuous process and can be measured in a variety of ways. Children and young people tend to develop at different rates but the sequence or order in which they develop will be more or less the same. For example, a child will acquire one skill – walking, before developing the next skill in the sequence – running. As development tends to be more rapid in the early years, the milestones are initially quite close together. As a baby becomes a toddler / child and the toddler / child becomes a young person, the milestones can be further apart. It is important to bear in mind that children and young people are individuals, so their rate of development may be different and also development may not progress across all the required areas with the same degree of equality. Sometimes the rate of development can present cause for concern. However, it is essential to remember that each person is unique and this must be borne in mind, especially when examining the rate and development of a child or young person. Generally speaking, development is said to progress from head to toe, from the inner self to the outer self, from simple to complex and finally from general to specific. The aspects of development by which children and young people are measured against are: Physical Development Physical development can be sub-divided into: Fine motor skills (manipulation) involve the coordination and control of small muscles, for example, tying a shoe lace or using pincer grip to pick up crumbs or hold a pencil and mark make with it. Gross motor skills involve the coordination and the control of large muscles and the acquiring of skills such as running and walking, throwing a ball or pedalling a bicycle. These skills require the use of the entire body or at least several parts of the body. Muscle tone and muscle strength are important, for example, if a body has ‘high tone’, the movements may be jerky or appear disconnected and if the muscle strength is poor, the child or young person may not be able to exert much pressure with his hands or legs. The quality and range of movement is also important – does a child or young person move noticeably slowly or too quickly and is the child or young person able to make movements that go from one side of the body to the other (‘crossing the midline’). Physical development is about learning to master movements and this allows a child or young person to become independent. They master the ability to explore and interact the world and environment around them. The muscles in the body need to develop and gain strength and as they do, the body is able to coordinate better. Cognitive / Intellectual Development This encompasses the way in which the brain processes information (remembering names or colours or numbers and information). Imagination (for example in role-play), is also a cognitive skill and cognitive development is strongly linked to communication and language. Communication and Language This is about learning to communicate with other people and understanding their communication in return. Talking, reading, writing and using gestures/body language or a sign language, are all examples of communication and it is essential that children and young people acquire language and a range of vocabulary or sign language skills in order to be able to communicate effectively. Receptive and expressive language are effective tools for communication. As stated above, communication and language are linked to cognitive development (thinking about what others are trying to convey as well as what you are trying to express). Social and Emotional Development This area is about forming and maintaining relationships, understanding oneself, becoming self-reliant, having the ability to make decisions, feeling sympathy and empathy, knowing what behaviour is acceptable, and having the ability to control emotions appropriately. This area is closely linked to cognitive language development. Intellectual or Moral Development This has strong links with cognitive development and is a sub-set of social and emotional development. Intellectual or moral development is about decisions that children and young people take, principles they adopt and their behaviour towards others. It includes a child or young person’s attention span, ability to understand information and to reason, the developing of memory, logical thinking and questioning. For example, Piaget advocated that group games promoted and advanced the moral and intellectual development of children and young people. An adult explains the rules of a game and gradually reduces his or her involvement, allowing the child or young person to regulate the game this allows room for a child to take risks, to make errors and to learn and develop moral understanding and autonomy. Table detailing the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth to 19 years plus Age Intellectual Social/Emotional Language Gross Motor Fine Motor Skills Infant – Birth to 12 months Learns by experimenting with hands and putting objects in mouth. Attaches to the mother and father and begins to recognise faces; smiles. At about six months begins to recognise parents and expresses a fear of strangers. Responds to and participates in simple interactive games. Vocalises a lot more and imitates some sounds, says 2 syllable words like ‘mama’, ‘dada’, ‘baba’. Lifts head, pulls chest up, rolls over, pulls to sit up and crawls or stands either with some or no support. Is able to reach for objects and picks up finger food or toys, like rattles or keys. Picks up small objects like crumbs. Toddler 1 – 2 years Is able to learn words for people and objects and to name some items when prompted. Learns that self and parents are separate, imitates sounds, is able to indicate needs or wants without crying. Is able to say more words and follow simple instructions. Can walk, kick, stop, jump, throw a ball and drop items. Unbutton clothing, build tower with few bricks, mark make, use spoon to feed self. Preschool 2 – 5 years Knows when is tired or hungry, cold/wet or soiled and recognises some colours, numbers, shapes and objects. Able to separate from carer with ease, un/dress with assistance, wash / dry hands, play games. Increasingly independent in toileting and self-care. Follows simple or complex instructions, speaks in simple sentences. Good range of vocabulary. Runs, hops, squats and jumps, pedals a tricycle, balances and co-ordinates well. Pulls self onto play equipment. Builds tower of 7/8 cubes, forms letters and some alphabet and is able to pedal a bicycle. Feeds self. School 5 – 12 years Understands numeracy and literacy concepts, relationships between objects and feelings, acquires knowledge and skill. Increasingly independent, emotionally still attached to its parents, dresses/undresses mostly without assistance, joins clubs and social groups, make friendships. Has an increasing bank of vocabulary, is able to describe his / her feelings, or objects, or materials, is able to school independently. Improved balance, may overestimate physical capabilities, joins in different physically demanding activities. Able to sketch/draw people, copy detail in figures and objects, sew, knit, paint and craft with control. 12 – 18 years Understands some abstract concepts like death or illness or God and religion, and develops an understanding of complex ideas. Experiences mood swings and changes in behaviour, highly influenced by peer group, distances from parents emotionally, engrossed by self-image, may have sexual relationship. Uses increased vocabulary and understands abstract concepts such as grief. These are now fully developed. These are now fully developed. 19 years plus Continues to develop ability to make sound decisions, understands complexity of relationships with others. Becomes independent and develops own lifestyle, chooses career path, develops a social and economic status, may have a partner, become a parent, Continues to develop knowledge, uses increased vocabulary and different styles of language. These are now fully developed. These are now fully developed.

History of Nazi Germany :: World War II History

History of Nazi Germany National Socialism between 1920 and 1945 can best be described as an era of constant change. Hitler's enrollment in the German Worker's Party provided him the foundation needed to propel his idealistic views of anti-Semitism and Aryan superiority. Soon after Hitler's enrollment the party's name was changed to the National Socialist German Worker's Party and in the summer of 1921 his talents as an orator and propagandist enabled him to take over the leadership of the Nazi Party. Hitler's initial following - stemmed from German hyper-inflation and devaluation of the mark - included unemployed workers and the lower class, his keen ability to organize rallies to hear his speeches were instrumental in raising monies for the Nazi Party. Although the majority of his followers shared his dislike of the Weimar Republic's liberal democracy and anti-Semitic agenda, his party support, due to it's small size, was limited to the Bavarian region of German, this would prove to be a limiting factor w hen Hitler attempted to seize control of the provincial Bavarian government during his Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923. Hitler's ill-fated attempt of treason proved to work to his advantage; thus, giving him national status as a patriot and a hero in the eyes of many. As a result, Hitler served 9 months in prison for the Beer Hall Putsch and wrote a book titled Mein Kampf (My Struggle) outlining his vision for the future Germany. By late 1924 Hitler was release on parole, after serving a portion his five year sentence, and quickly regained control of the Nazi Party, noting that any future seizure must come by legal measures through Parliamentary elections. Faced with a temporary improvement of the German economy by the Weimar Republic's ability to secure loans and investments (mostly from America), Hitler was forced to wait until economic conditions worsened to propel his Nazi agenda. In 1929 Hitler finally got his chance, the American stock market crash of 1929 affected nearly every nation in the world and German prosperity soon came to an end as a result of the Great Depression, vast unemployment and hunger that followed. President Hindenburg's Weimar Republic soon found itself obligated to repay debts owed to countries that once provided assistance during times of prosperity. Discontented German people wanted change and Bruening (Chancellor) believed that a stable parliament majority for his party could deliver the change required, so new elections were held.

Downfall of our public schools Essay

As much as we would like to be able to assert that American public schools are the best in the world, time and time again we have been proven wrong, at least partially. The American system of public schools is failing those it serves. It has failed to provide equal educational opportunities to all students, it has failed to train them to take jobs and advanced careers, and it has failed to secure the future of American prosperity by failing utterly to create the kind of necessary professional and skilled labor balance that is critical to our continued prominence as a nation. On structural, financial, and curricular levels, the system is not designed to succeed. What it does do well is prepare a very small number of people who come from wealthy families to have any opportunity they want to take advantage of and leaves the vast majority of the nation to fend for itself – often without the tools, support, or ability to do so. The American public system of education bases its curriculum on several overarching principles: generalization, focus on the liberal arts, and an emphasis on individual achievement and self-selection (meaning that individual students determine the course of their own education and career path rather than being funneled into specific schools and programs as is common in other countries). Each of these, philosophically, is designed to help students achieve the greatest level of self-reliance and independence while providing the broad liberal foundation that can be, theoretically, applied in any situation, in any calling. Those are the benefits of a liberal foundation, but the detriments are that without specialization in education, students aren’t able to focus intensely upon their particular subject area until as late as college, and perhaps a small amount in high-school. The result is that students focusing on a general education for 12 years are allowed only 4-5 years of specialization (Browser, 10). Other nations, notably Japan and Germany, employ a system of education that, as early as elementary school, begins to identify potential school types and careers for students and puts them through specialization 4-6 years earlier than the US (Browser, 10). This results in many of these nations excelling in math and science where the U. S. falters. But, this is not the only point of failure of the U. S. system, the 2005 study of reading and mathematical proficiencies of 4th and 8th graders nationwide found that less than 40% of all students tested were grade-level proficient in those subjects (Standard & Poors, pNA). This figure gets worse when the schools are dominantly African-American or Hispanic in Graduation Graduation rates are similarly dismal – only 69. 7% of American high school students matriculate (â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†, pNA). The American public school curricula is failing its students. There are a variety of opportunities throughout the continuum of public education to directly assist students in determining the career path that best suits not only their individual skills and needs, but those of the nation as well. In my own experience, I witnessed high school programs that taught industrial arts, and job-related programs that had been designed to provide students who would not be going to college with the skills necessary to enter the workforce upon graduation get cut out of the curricula entirely. The reasoning given was that the school wanted to focus on achieving higher levels of college entrance, and to increase the numbers of college-prep courses available. This, on paper, sounded great, but in reality it left many students completely without post-high school support. If the American dream requires college, then we are absolutely failing our students by allowing (in some districts) more than half of the population to fail out of school entirely. If we take a realistic look at how students could benefit from industrial arts, business training, home economics, and other job-related training, providing intensive specialization in high-school would allow for a much higher success rate and a higher graduation rate. Our system is failing its students in terms of investment in their present and their future. Schools get the majority of their funding from locally levied taxes with additional state and federal support. It should be no surprise, then, that the districts with the largest tax base to population ratio results in a much larger amount of money available for schools than in districts with a low tax to population ratio. For example, in Nevada, there are two primary sources of funds for schools – property tax and gambling revenue taxes. In districts with the highest value of homes, the tax base is very high, resulting in significantly more money per pupil available than in districts with less expensive homes or those dominated by apartments and low-income housing which do not pay nearly as much in property tax per resident than do the more affluent communities (â€Å"America Goes Back to School†, pNA). The impact, then, is not only significant regional differences in the amount of money available per student, but these differences can be found at the district by district level throughout the entire country. Not surprisingly, those schools with the highest per-capita spending capability are also among the highest ranked schools in the nation (there are no inner city urban public schools in the top 100 high schools in the nation). Therefore, by failing to provide a balanced financial opportunity for every school district, we are pre-determining the level of success, graduation, and career opportunity for entire swaths of students. The poor, the Black and Hispanic, and the otherwise disadvantaged will remain so because they (as a community) will never be able to catch up in terms of opportunity and performance with the more successful communities until we balance the amount of money spent per student throughout the entire nation. On a structural and statistical level, in terms of money and curricular focus, our public school system is failing its students and the communities it is supposed to serve. Despite a continual â€Å"focus† on education, our graduation rates and basic skills passing rates are absolutely dismal. Our generalist curricula has absolutely failed to contribute meaningfully to reducing the massive gaps in our workforce. Finally, the severe imbalance in spending and available funds from district to district and community to community has led to a near permanent state of success and failure for the entire student population in each of those districts. Ultimately, then, the system has failed and is continuing to fail to properly educate, support, and allow our students to contribute to the betterment of society and our success in the international community. References Browser, Jack. Educating America: Lesson Learned in the Nation’s Corporations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1989. United States Department of Education. â€Å"America Goes back to School† www. ed. gov/Family/agbts/index. html. Online. Internet. Info Acc March, 2007. Standard & Poors. â€Å"United States Public Schools & Districts: How Students Performed on National Reading and Math Tests†. SchoolMatters. com Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. schoolmatters. com/app/location/q/stid=1036196/llid=162/stllid=676/locid=1036195/site=pes. Info Acc March 18, 2007. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†. Manhattan-Institute. org. Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. manhattan-institute. org/html/cr_baeo. htm. Info Acc March 19, 2007.